Shocking money withdrawal payment at ATM of main Aussie financial institution: ‘That’s legal’

A bank customer has been outraged by a $7.50 charge to withdraw cash at an ATM in Queensland. 

A photo of the whopping fee at a NAB branch in Townsville was shared to social media on Sunday, prompting anger.

‘That’s criminal!’ one person commented. 

‘I remember a few years ago the big banks promising to keep their ATMs fee free.’

‘The banks are licensed thieves!’ said another.

‘Obscene. I got charged $3.90 last week and thought that was bad – yours takes the cake,’ a third wrote. 

The person who shared the image said they were not using a foreign card or credit card to withdraw the $100 from their account with Ubank, a subsidiary of NAB.  

They decided not to go through with the withdrawal and went to a nearby shop instead, where the charge was a lesser $2.80. 

The $7.50 fee at an NAB ATM in Townsville (pictured) was shared to social media on Sunday

The Aussie who shared the image said they were not using a foreign card or credit card to withdraw the $100 from their account with Ubank, a subsidiary of NAB (pictured)

An NAB spokesperson said the fee was ‘very odd’ and neither NAB nor Ubank usually charge fees for that sort of transaction.

‘We’re looking at the ATM now to fix the issue and have contacted the customer to refund any fees they incurred,’ the spokesperson said. 

It has grown increasingly difficult to find ATMs in Australia in recent years, let alone ATMs that don’t charge a fee. 

In 2016, Commonwealth Bank led the sector in cutting their $2 fee for ATM withdrawals, but the banks then started cutting ATM numbers.

The number of bank-owned ATMs has plummeted along with society’s reliance on cash, with many replaced by third-party owned machines that charge about $3. 

Meanwhile, Bendigo Bank has quietly introduced a fee for customers wanting to withdraw money from branches.

Australia’s sixth-largest bank will now charge $2.50 for over-the-counter branch withdrawals.